In firing pistols, the action slide during recoil abuts against the frame buttress resulting in hammering and vibrations. As a consequence, particularly in target pistols and training pistols which fire thousands of rounds, the pistol is prone to develop stress cracks in the slide and frame and/or metal fatigue in the slide and frame.
Various damping devices and mechanisms have been developed for such firearms, but most of such devices complicate the mechanism of the firearm and cause maintenance problems.
A simple solution for many pistols is the provision of a buffer which is a cushioning pad positioned between the recoil spring and the frame, particularly between the recoil spring and the backing flange for the spring, to cushion the impact of the slide at the end of its travel when the spring is fully compressed. The use of a buffer of this character has proved to be highly effective and yet inexpensive because of the ability to easily replace the buffer in normal maintenance operations.
In a Beretta pistol and in other pistols having a similar configuration, the action slide abuts the frame buttress around an aperture through which the recoil spring penetrates, being seated at one end against the slide and seated at the other end against a guide rod which abuts the frame at the other side of the buttress. In such pistols, positioning a buffer at either end of the spring does not function to cushion the impact of the slide against the frame.